Osteolytic metatarsal osteomyelitis regenerated by combined treatment of artificial carbon dioxide foot bathing and povidone-iodine sugar ointment: a case report.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the number of patients with ischemic skin ulcers due to diabetes mellitus and arteriosclerosis obliterans are increasing. Accordingly, endovascular therapy, drugs, and various wound dressings have been developed and applied to diabetic foot ulcers, and negative-pressure wound therapy, which often requires expensive and burdensome procedures for medical personnel, has also become popular. So simple and minimal invasive home treatment by the patient or their caregiver is required. CASE PRESENTATION: The present patient (77 years old, male, Asian) had developed left sole ulcers with draining pus that were resistant to conventional treatment, and he suffered from gait disturbance. We report a case of metatarsal osteomyelitis in a patient with diabetes mellitus and arteriosclerosis obliterans, in whom artificial carbon dioxide foot bathing and povidone-iodine sugar ointment were used continuously to promote bone and joint regeneration, and skin ulcer healing. CONCLUSIONS: A simple therapeutic intervention with artificial carbon dioxide foot bathing and povidone-iodine sugar ointment can improve not only ischemic skin ulcers, but also the bone and joint regeneration of ischemic limbs. This therapy can lead to a reduction in healthcare costs for a huge number of diabetic patients.

Effect of a warm footbath before bedtime on body temperature and sleep in older adults with good and poor sleep: an experimental crossover trial.

BACKGROUND: The decrease in core body temperature before sleep onset and during sleep is associated with dilation of peripheral blood vessels, which permits heat dissipation from the body core to the periphery. A lower core temperature coupled with a higher distal (hands and feet) temperature before sleep are associated with shorter sleep latency and better sleep quality. A warm footbath is thought to facilitate heat dissipation to improve sleep outcomes. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effect of a warm footbath (40°C water temperature, 20-min duration) on body temperature and sleep in older adults (≥55 years) with good and poor sleep. DESIGN: Two groups and an experimental crossover design was used. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Forty-three adults responded to our flyer and 25 participants aged 59.8±3.7 years (poor sleeper with a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score≥5=17; good sleepers with a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score<5=8) completed this study. METHODS: All participants had body temperatures (core, abdomen, and foot) and polysomnography recorded for 3 consecutive nights. The first night was for adaptation and sleep apnea screening. Participants were then randomly assigned to either the structured foot bathing first (second night) and non-bathing second (third night) condition or the non-bathing first (second night) and foot bathing second (third night) condition. RESULTS: A footbath before sleep significantly increased and retained foot temperatures in both good and poor sleepers. The pattern of core temperatures during foot bathing was gradually elevated (poor sleepers vs. good sleepers=+0.40±0.58°C vs. +0.66±0.17°C). There were no significant changes in polysomnographic sleep and perceived sleep quality between non-bathing and bathing nights for both groups. CONCLUSION: A footbath of 40°C water temperature and 20-min duration before sleep onset increases foot temperatures and distal-proximal skin temperature gradients to facilitate vessel dilatation and elevates core temperature to provide heat load to the body. This footbath does not alter sleep in older adults with good and poor sleep.

Effects of the Foot Bathing on Hemiplegia Patients / 日本温泉気候物理医学会雑誌

The purpose of this study was to clarify effects of foot bathing at 44°C for the patients with hemiplegia. The subjects of this study were six patients with hemiplegia (average 71.6 years old) and six healthy volunteers (average 74.3 years old). Blood pressure and heart rate were measured using an autonomic spygmomanometer, tympanic temperature using a thermistor, and sweat rate using the ventrilated capsule method during the control period of 10 minutes before foot bathing, for 20 minutes during foot bathing, and for 10 minutes after foot bathing. Subjects wore a plain clothes while taking a footbath and the ambient temperature was set to 20°C. During foot bathing, heart rate was significantly increased, but blood pressure and pressure-rate product did not changed. Tympanic temperature was no significant changed in both subjects during foot bathing. But a significant increase of sweat rate was observed in patients. In healthy volunteers, in contrast, skin blood flow on the bottom of the foot was significant increased. These findings suggest that regulation system of cardiovascular is slightly declined in the patient, and patient's thermoregulatory system was difficult in healthy humans.

Effects of Underwater Exercise Program with Spa in Elderly Women / 日本温泉気候物理医学会雑誌

The purposes of this study were to develop a low-impact underwater exercise program that can be implemented at water temperatures around 40 degrees C, an environment commonly available in many hot-spring bathing facilities in Japan, and further to verify the effectiveness of the program by experiments.<br>This program assumes three patterns of bathing, i. e., foot bathing, hip bathing, and chest bathing, considering the designs of bathtubs in such facilities. It also incorporates five categories of underwater exercise, i. e., warming up, toning, flexibility exercise, relaxation, and cooling down, for each pattern of bathing.<br>The underwater exercise program was tried by ten elderly female subjects (aged 67±5).<br>The results indicated significant differences in rectal temperature and heart rate from those in plain-water bathing but with little physiologic damage. Therefore, these results suggest that the aged can participat in the newly developed underwater exercise program while they are bathing in hot springs.